Chapter 17

“This way!” Having received the Dryad’s confirmation, Rao Wu quickly sprung into action. He pulled out his trusty bone spear from his spatial ring, returned Xian Da to the soul space, and then summoned Ju Tu.

“Guoo!” The Steelback Ape roared as soon as it emerged from the summoning circle, its terrifying presence causing the Dryad to shrink in fear.

“Ju Tu, don’t scare her,” Rao Wu softly reprimanded with a small smile and then pointed towards the southeast. “The ambush is thinnest over there. We’ll fight our way through. Are you ready?”

“Guoo!” Ju Tu roared its acknowledgment and then charged ahead, eager to showcase its might.

Rao Wu from Ju Tu, who had smashed into a crowd of Bugbears to the Dryad and then asked, “Can you keep up? We’ll be running at full speed.”

To his request, the Dryad quickly mounted a plant-monster that resembled a large cat. “Yes. We can certainly keep up.” As she spoke, the plant-monsters around her began to morph into more lithe, agile animal forms.

“Woah.” Rao Wu marveled at the creatures’ strange transformations. He had so many questions, but this was not the best time to ask. So, he instead, chuckled and then motioned for the Dryad to quickly follow behind and then caught up to Ju Tu.

Puchi!

“Watch your back!” Rao Wu jokingly shouted he drove the bone spear through a Bugbear that had jumped onto Ju Tu’s back.

“Guoo!” Ju Tu, however, protested its innocence. Its back was the most fortified section of its body. It simply did not fear attacks on its back.

Rao Wu dodged a Bugbear’s club as he contemplated Ju Tu’s argument, danced around it, and then stabbed his spear backward through its head. “I get that, but you never know if one of these guys has some hidden strength or skill. It doesn’t hurt to be extra careful, you know?”

While lecturing the impetuous Ju Tu, Rao Wu jumped over another Bugbear, crashing his foot into its skull to gain more elevation. As the Bugbear fell to the ground, stunned, the young man quickly turned his sights ahead to two Elite Bugbears that were blocking the road ahead.

Whoosh! Puchi!

Without hesitation, Rao Wu flung his spear with all his might. Precision and power combined into a devastating missile that tore through one of the Elite Bugbear’s shoulders. While it cried out in pain, Rao Wu suddenly shouted, “Ju Tu, Stonetoss! On me!”

Ju Tu, hearing Rao Wu’s command, grabbed the child while he was still airborne, then spun around in place and threw him out like a missile. Having practiced this maneuver countless times with Ju Tu, Rao Wu remained calm, even as he zipped across the forest like a bullet.

Vwoosh!

Within the blink of an eye, Rao Wu appeared just over the two Elite Bugbears. Clasp! Just before he passed overhead, the child grabbed the spearhead sticking out of the injured Elite Bugbear.

Bam!

The spearshaft stuck in the Bugbear acted as a harsh anchor. However, the youth’s momentum proved to be so much that the spear ripped clean through the Elite Bugbear’s shoulder, and then sent it crashing into the ground.

“Nwaa!”

The second Elite Bugbear quickly turned around to face the strange child. Fortunately, Rao Wu was in the process of sliding across the ground to kill off the last of his momentum. The Elite Bugbear was determined to use this period to quickly close the gap and then shatter Rao Wu’s skull with its club.

However, it had barely begun its charge when a brown object suddenly filled its vision. A club! The Elite Bugbear realized Rao Wu had seized and then thrown its partner’s club at it! Enraged, the Elite Bugbear smacked the missile into the air, and then prepared to charge once more.

Only to be faced with Rao Wu’s swiftly approaching, devilish smile. Rather than sliding to reduce momentum, Rao Wu had kicked off a tree immediately after throwing the club, redirecting his momentum towards the Elite Bugbear.

“Nwaa!” The enraged Elite Bugbear desperately tried to put up its defenses, blocking its head and chest with its arms and club. Unfortunately, Rao Wu never had any intention of striking those areas.

Puchi!

“Nwaa!”

The Elite Bugbear cried out as Rao Wu drove his spear through its foot, pinning it to the ground. The sharp pain caused the monster to reflexively lift its guard to cradle the sore area. This proved to be a fatal mistake.

Rao Wu, using the spear shaft as a lever, jumped and then launched a devastating kick to the Elite Bugbear’s head.

BAM!

The tremendous blow rattled the Elite Bugbear’s brain. Some of the force would have dissipated if it was sent flying. Still, because Rao Wu had its foot pinned, the entire force settled in its skull, causing it to suffer a severe concussion.

Pltch! Rao Wu retrieved his spear and then swiftly stabbed it through the Elite Bugbear’s throat. Without pausing, he quickly recovered it and then stabbed the other Elite Bugbear on the ground.

Rao Wu, drenched in blood, raised his head to survey Ju Tu’s battle. As expected of the Phase Two general-ranked Steelback Ape, Ju Tu was making mincemeat of the surrounding Bugbears. Despite their seeming advantage, Rao Wu had no intention of overstaying his welcome. “This way, Ju Tu!”

Since Rao Wu eliminated the Elite Bugbears, Ju Tu had a tremendously easy task as he broke through the Bugbear’s formations. Rao Wu, meanwhile, assisted from behind Ju Tu, expertly stabbing any Bugbear that made it past the rampaging Steelback Ape. The plant monsters then followed close behind, eager to keep the Bugbears as far away as possible.

Kwaa!

Every now and then, a plant-monster would fall after being overrun, but neither Rao Wu nor the Dryad dared to stop or slow down else they’d be surrounded.

Whoosh!

And so, the desperate chase continued for roughly thirty minutes, but then came to an unforgiving halt when the fleeing party came across rushing rapids that split the forest in two.

“Damn it! This is why Uncle always said I should master the layout before operating in an area.” Rao Wu hatefully glared at the choppy waters. He did not dare enter for fear of getting smashed into an underwater boulder. The fleeing party could not run towards either side of the river either as the Bugbear Lord had intelligently ordered the Bugbears to chase in a fan formation. If they moved to either side, they would definitely get ambushed once again.

“Looks like I have no choice.” A vicious glint appeared in Rao Wu’s eyes as he turned to look at the Dryad. However, just when Rao Wu solidified his resolve to kidnap the Dryad and flee with her, she suddenly jumped down from the plant-monster and then rapidly approached the river. “Hey watch ou—”

Rao Wu’s words froze in his throat when with a stomp of her feet, a massive tree trunk burst out of the ground and then stretched over the river, connecting it to the other side.

“Wha—” Rao Wu’s desire intensified when he saw the Dryad’s [Growth] ability. [Growth] was an extremely rare skill that allowed its user to instill life energy into plant life, accelerating their growth. This legendary skill was not without its flaws. In the early stages, any plant quickly raised by Growth also died soon after.

Currently, however, Rao Wu did not care about that drawback. “C’mon! Go! Go!” The child urged the plant-monsters to charge over the bridge while he and Ju Tu stood at the rear to cover their escape.

“Nwaa!”

Rao Wu’s eyes narrowed when, as expected, a legion of Bugbears broke out of the forest and began charging at them. “Nwaa!” Suddenly, with a loud roar, the Bugbear Lord burst out of the woods, its angry eyes glaring at Rao Wu and Ju Tu.

The Bugbear Lord was incensed. These two intruders had ruined a perfectly-laid ambush! Without Rao Wu, the Bugbears would have secured enough food to pass a few weeks. Unfortunately, most of the plant-monsters escaped due to the child’s meddling.

Rao Wu recognized the rage in the Bugbear Lord’s eyes. The bloodlust was all too familiar. The monster wanted to tear both of them to shreds and dance on their corpses. A glint sparked in Rao Wu’s eyes as he turned to look at the rapidly vacating plant-monsters. If the Bugbears swarmed right now, many plant monsters would perish.

Rao Wu, who was looking to impress the Dryad, would not permit this lousy ending. He thus decided to take advantage of the Bugbear Lord’s rage. “Hey, Ju Tu, challenge him.”

Ju Tu looked at Rao Wu with questions in its eyes. Right now, it still wasn’t the Bugbear Lord’s match. However, when it saw Rao Wu’s gaze, it grinned and then turned to look at the Bugbear Lord. “Guooo!” Ju Tu took a few steps forward and then roared as it beat its chest. It rose to full height, roared once more, and then began mocking the Bugbear Lord with short gibbers.

“Nwaa!” The Bugbear Lord growled in rage. Since it was born, it had never faced this kind of disrespect! “Nwaa!” The Bugbear Lord ordered the other Bugbears to stand down and then charged at Ju Tu, determined to destroy the Steelback Ape.

“Ju Tu! Stone Toss! Barrage!” Rao Wu shouted when he saw the Bugbear’s angry approach.

Ju Tu stabbed its hand into the ground, and then pulled out a clump of earth. The energy in its hands quickly molded the clay into a round ball and then hardened it before Ju Tu flung it with all its might.

“Nwaa!” The Bugbear Lord, though caught off-guard by the sudden missile, reacted quickly. With a loud shout, it swung its club at the stone, shattering it to dust. However, it did not dare to relax, as just a moment later, its vision was covered by several smaller rocks. The Bugbear Lord angrily swatted the nearby missiles and dodged those it couldn’t hit. Unfortunately, although it didn’t get it, the barrage undoubtedly slowed its progress.

Enraged, the Bugbear Lord roared and then slammed its club against the ground.

Rao Wu’s eyes narrowed when he saw cracks rapidly run across the ground from the impact point toward Ju Tu. He recalled an attack he’d read in the encyclopedia and quickly shouted, “Ju Tu! Jump!”

Ju Tu never doubted Rao Wu’s command. It jumped just as Rao Wu ordered, and was subsequently grateful when a rock spire suddenly shot up from the ground.

The Bugbear Lord, however, wasn’t done with its attack. As if to glorify the ‘Bug’ in ‘Bugbear,’ its cheeks suddenly widened. Spltch! One moment later, a green liquid spat out of its mouth and then rushed at the airborne Ju Tu.

“Ju Tu, Turtle!” Rao Wu cried out in panic when he realized the Bugbear had spat out its infamous corrosive poison.

Turtle was not a real Steelback Ape move. It was a codeword between Rao Wu and Ju Tu that basically meant he should take the next attack with his back.

The airborne Ju Tu quickly turned around, and then let out a pained roar as the corrosive poison splashed on, and then ate through the steel-like platelets on its back.

Rao Wu gritted his teeth when he heard Ju Tu’s pained shout, but he did not stop his string of orders. “Forget the pain! Ju Tu, Ground Pound, then frontal assault! Don’t give it a chance to retaliate!”

Ju Tu bottled the intense pain, and then let out a loud roar as it smashed its fists against the ground.

Rrrumble!

Following the massive strike, the ground, 20 meters wide, trembled from the impact. The Bugbear Lord, caught in the tremor’s radius, stumbled in its charge and almost lost its balance in the process. It barely regained its footing when its instincts warned it to raise its club.

BAM!

A loud boom rang out as Ju Tu’s fist crashed into the Bugbear Lord’s raised club. Astonishingly, despite being smaller, the Bugbear Lord was not phased by the slightly bigger Ju Tu’s punch. Instead, it glared at the Steelback Ape with raging eyes. Ju Tu, however, ignored its eyes and, instead, unleashed a series of wild punches and kicks in quick succession.

Ju Tu knew that the Bugbear Lord was much stronger than it. The second it gave the Bugbear Lord an opportunity, it would get destroyed. So, following, Rao Wu’s advice, it never relented, pouring everything it had into driving the Bugbear Lord into a corner.

“Ju Tu, duck!”

Ju Tu reflexively ducked upon Rao Wu’s sudden shout, and its eyes widened in fear when it saw green spittle fly over its head. This crafty Bugbear! Its acid-spitting speed was faster than it initially revealed. If it were not for Rao Wu, Ju Tu’s face would have suffered the acid’s corrosion. This was one of the prime examples of the advantage of having a soul trainer. They often saw things the soul monsters could not.

“Brace yourself!”

Ju Tu crossed its arms over its face, just as the Bugbear Lord’s knee came crashing upward. BAM! The Bugbear Lord’s powerful knee shattered Ju Tu’s arm and nose, sending the Steelback Ape reeling backward in confusion.

“Nwaa!” The enraged Bugbear Lord had no plans of letting Ju Tu go. It repeatedly smashed its club into Ju Tu’s chest, even as the Steelback Ape, barely protected itself with its shattered arms. “Nwaa!” Having overwhelmed Ju Tu, the Bugbear Lord jumped and then drove its knee into Ju Tu’s nose.

Ju Tu, already groggy from the first strike, could not withstand the second and instantly collapsed on its back.

“Nwaa!” The Bugbear Lord let out a victorious roar as it jumped onto Ju Tu’s chest and then raised its club high. “Nwaa!” With rage in its eyes, it clutched the club with both hands and then struck down to smash Ju Tu’s head.

BAM!

“Nwaa!”

The Bugbear Lord let out a confused scream when, instead of a bloody mess, a strong back appeared in the path of its club.

*cough* *cough* Rao Wu coughed up blood, having suffered catastrophic damage when the club smashed into his back.

“Guo Guo Guoo.” Ju Tu let out a mournful cry when it saw Rao Wu’s bloody figure standing above, protecting it from the Bugbear Lord’s final wrath. It was Ju Tu’s job to protect Rao Wu, not the other way around. It could not stand seeing Rao Wu this injured on its watch.

“Hehe… *cough* *cough* You did great, Ju Tu,” Rao Wu praised through bloody teeth. He then winked as he said, “Let me take it from here.” With those words, he suddenly spun in place and then flung a pair of bone claws at the Bugbear Lord.

Whoosh!

The Bugbear Lord, recognizing the danger, swiftly released its club and dodged the first bone claw. Unfortunately, its dodging momentum took it right into the path of the second, slightly staggered bone claw.

Puchi!

The Bugbear Lord let out a pained roar as the bone claw stabbed into its right eye. It then crumbled to the ground, rolling around and clutching the injured eye.

“Serves you right!” Rao Wu let out a pained chuckle and then quickly ran towards the bridge. “Ju Tu, return!” Following his shout, a magic circle appeared beneath Ju Tu. Light from the magic circle shrouded Ju Tu and then turned into a tiny ball that quickly rushed into the fleeing Rao Wu’s back.

“Nwaa!” The apoplectic Bugbear Lord forgot its pain when it saw its prey escaping. “Nwa! Nwa!” It ordered the Bugbears to swiftly attack and tear the boy to shreds.

Vwoosh! Vwoossh!

Dum! Dum! Dum!

Rao Wu beat a hasty retreat as the Bugbear’s clubs rained down from the sky like a missile bombardment. Bang! “Argh! Dammit!” Rao Wu cursed and then tumbled over in pain when a club struck the back of his shoulder. “Go! Go! Go!” However, the youth, hyped up on adrenalin, ignored the pain, and swiftly jumped back onto his feet.

“Quick! It’s rotting!” The Dryad shouted from the opposite bank, her features clouded with worry.

“Of course, it is!” Rao Wu cursed his luck as he approached the rapidly rotting tree bridge. Thunk! Thunk! Large chunks of the trunk broke off as he stomped on it, and his brows furrowed in a helpless frown when the trunk began breaking off from the opposite bank.

Rao Wu, trapped at the center of the rotting bridge, threw caution to the wind, and then jumped with all his might.

“Ahhh… DAAAAAMN IIIIT!” Rao Wu screamed in panic and fear when he realized his descent was just a couple inches short of the river bank. His arms flailed wildly as he attempted to catch something, anything that would hopefully help pull him onto the opposite bank.

BAM!